My 2012 Vision Board

After my post yesterday I realized there might be some that don't know what a vision board it.
Here is my vision board for 2012.
It isn't that pretty, but what is on it means something to me for this year.
It gives a focus.  My word for the year is there too.
At the beginning of each year a group of women friends get together to make their vision boards.
It is a fun gathering filled with things to drink and munchies,
talk, laughter, and cutting things out of magazines.
At the end of the day we share our vision for the coming year.
We are encouraged to put a picture of ourselves on the board.
You see I am dancing in my pink tutu.
The map represents planned travel.
There is always tea.
I won't explain each thing because some are personal just for me,
but it should give you an idea what I have in my heart for 2012.

Winter Moon

Does the moon sometimes just capture your heart?
Does it make you stand up and notice?
A couple weeks ago it was one of those moons
and I just couldn't get enough of looking at it.
Finally the camera came out and I played awhile.
Oh what fun I had by the light of the moon.
It was one of those nights that I just had to dance.
No one saw me, but I was dancing.
Recently this quote appeared on my vision board
for 2012:

I dance daily, watched or not!

Do you make a vision board at the beginning of the year?
Do you dance daily?
Does a beautiful moon just make your heart sing?
I hope so!

A Day like no Other

The Magpie's Fancy had a 5 minute writing assignment this week and I decided to participate.
We were suppose to pick a picture from 2 years ago, study it a few minutes, then write for 5 minutes.
I love writing free of any constraints and focusing on a picture.
The following is what came from my pen.

It was a day much like today, sunshine, clouds and a little rain.
Not a particularly cold day, but a day like no other.
I was beginning to think spring might come.
The sign was guiding me forward and showing me where I came from.
It was taking me to something new, a celebration of longevity, a celebration of love,
and a celebration of what was yet to come.

Signs like these always cause me to smile as they head us in a direction and give the miles.
Oh how long those miles can seem some days, and yet before you know it you are there.
Sometimes it is the traveling there that brings us JOY as much as the arriving;
the arriving and the smiles.  The warm hugs at the other end.
How special and treasured they are.
We travel far, we travel near, we travel most anywhere for that special smile
and that special hug.

Up over the hills and down through the valleys life takes us on that journey.
A journey of greetings and goodbyes, a journey of love and sorrow.
The journey and following signs is all more special because there are smiles and hugs,
sunshine and rain and clouds - yes, that is a day like no other.
A hope is glimmering, a future is here.
Take JOY in the moment - savor, dance, smile, and hug.

What is in your Cup?

Do you drink more tea in the winter?
Do you drink a different tea in the winter than you do in the summer?
What tea is in your cup today?

Lately I have been thirsty for what I call "hefty" teas,
something black and strong.
I have been finding Pu-er with ginger to satisfy this hunger.

From James Norwood Pratt's book, New Tea Lover's Treasury comes this quote:

"In the old days, when Pu-Er tea was transported by horse caravans from the production areas to the the town of Pu-Er, the caravans had to travel through tropical rain forests.  The moisture in the air caused the tea leaves to ferment (turn moldy, perhaps?) and enriched its flavor.  As people liked the flavor of the naturally fermented tea, the tea producers began to introduce a fermenting process for Pu-Er.  Unlike green tea which is best when the leaves are fresh, the older the Pu-Er, the better its flavor."

Doesn't this quote create wonderful images of the tea traveling by caravans through the rain forest?

My first exploration into Pu-er took me to an 8 year old lovely cup of tea.
Now the exploration is on and I have tried several others,
but I am partial to this first one because is was delightfully smooth.

Time in a Bottle

Special birthdays only come along every 10 years or more.
We are celebrating my husbands birthday here today.
There was a dinner party for him with close friends
and we shared stories of times gone by.
The bottles lining the table were part of my husband's collection;
so the invite said we would be sharing time in a bottle.
More than that we had a wonderful collection of memories
from many friends and family.
The memories were tucked into these envelopes and
tied with a tag that said:

"Sometimes you will never know the true value

of a moment

until it becomes a Memory."

anonymous

Treasure those small moments because they do become memories.

Munro

Let me introduce you to a very special dog in our family.
This is Munro.
He is in training to be a companion pet.
His owner right now is a niece-in-law.
She has trained many dogs and
Munro is the latest.
He is a sweetie and someone will be very fortunate
to have him by their side one day.
I have always known these dogs served a very special purpose,
but recently in my own neighborhood I observed a dog in action.
As I was waiting at a stop light a dog and companion walked across
the cross walk in front of me.  When they arrived at the curb the dog
stopped and curved it's body gently in front of the companion causing her to stop.
She then stepped up and again I could see the dog guide her away
from walking into a pole.
Today I celebrate dog companions, they are very special indeed.

Exploring

Not so very long ago I went exploring.
I love the outdoors and vintage delights.
Discovering beauty in my surroundings is definitely one of my passions,
especially when it involves the out of doors.
Even on a blustery, Winnie the Pooh sort of day,
I love wrapping up in mitten, warm coat, and a scarf,
and venturing out of doors.

Do you love exploring?
Where do you go when you go exploring?
Is it outdoors or a mall?
There are many ways of exploring
and I hope each week presents you with opportunities to delight your soul.

Happy Chinese New Year!
Open your doors and windows to let all the bad flow away,
then welcome the new year with a fresh face.

Just a Peek

One more peek into my portfolios.

It was so fun to look back at what I once created.
There are three different portfolios.
The two on top in the bottom right picture, I made.
The other is the typical black leather.
Each holds memories for me from
fashion design, to sweaters I helped develop for Jantzen,
and different collages I made throughout the years.
I will show a collage or two at a later date,
but thought you would like to see a sampling
of illustrations.
The rose print is the inside of the middle portfolio.
It was a fun time and a very creative time.
Creativity is still in my blood, but often I go different directions.

What do you like to create?

Double click on the collage above to see more closely.

A Tea Kettle

Before Christmas I broke my tea kettle.
I didn't realize how much I depended on it.
I was going to just get the same, but glass is dangerous in my hands.
On investigation I found this digital tea kettle at www.teatreasures.com
and I love it.  Thanks Jonathon for the recommendation.
What is nice about this tea kettle is that you can set the temperature
you want or you can just press start if you want hot, boiling water.
What is nice with tea kettles in general is that they turn off
when the water is gone and they heat up the water so much faster
than on the stove.
After all us tea drinkers need our water quickly in the morning
for our first cup of tea.
Off to make my morning tea.

Save the Internet

Though I am not usually political on this blog, I am encouraging you all to sign a notice to your congressmen.  Make your voice heard.

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Thanks!

Back tomorrow

The Last Hat

Joey hasn't visited in awhile.
He likes to hide when the camera comes out.
But I thought you would like to see the last hat he probably will model.
He was not happy with me and it took hours for him to come near me
after this session with the elf hat.
He doesn't mind the kerchief around the neck
and his little friend gave him some comforting words.
But for now this is his last hat.
He is sending his greetings for a Happy New Year.

The Time is Now

Winter in the garden.

The time is always right

to do

what is right.

Martin Luther King

No matter if it is winter, spring, summer, or fall
the time is always right to do for others
and to share the love.
Peace be with you on this day.

Gardener's Passion

Do you ever think about what you are passionate about?
My husband is a passionate gardener.
In the winter when there isn't much to do outside,
he does a little gardening inside.
For me that means, I get to enjoy living, growing things inside during the winter.
Paper whites is one of his favorites and I love them too.
They are so easy to grow inside and they bring so much JOY.
Then recently he brought some branches into the house from
a star magnolia.  Just putting the branches in a vase, they have
begun showing blooms.
Are you a winter gardener?
What do you like to have that shares it's beauty with you?
Have you been watching the ground outside to see if there are signs of life?

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Go out and find new signs for the winter garden.

Final House for 2011

Yes, I know it is 2012,
but I finally finished my last house for The Dollhouse Project.
Can you guess what it is?

Now let's think about what I usually write about on Thursday's?

Hummmmm?

Could it be something related to tea?

Why of course, I say.

It's a tea cozy,

just waiting with a fluffy inside to keep my next pot of tea warm.

This is a second life, as it once was a winter sweater.

It became full of holes, but still it could be used

as a re-purposed tea cozy.

Oh yes, re-purposed seems to be a theme this week.

Enjoy finding new life for old things around your house,

it is quite fun!

Pinterest Idea

How many of you have explored Pinterest?
I resisted for awhile.
Now I find the most amazing pictures and ideas there.
Recently I saw this idea for de-cluttering the bathroom counter.
I thought it was rather clever.
A friend had given me the tiered server for tea parties
and maybe sometime it might be used for that purpose.
In the meantime I am loving having it in my bathroom.
Thought maybe someone else out there would like this idea.
It could be used even in the kitchen,
what do you think?
Stack it with plates, pot holders, towels,
and what else?
I love re-purposing things and using them in different ways.
Have fun today re-purposing something in your home.

Decorations that Delight my Heart

This year when I took down the Christmas decorations I decided
I needed to do some decorating to just delight my heart.
Taking a look at what I already had out some revisions to the theme were made.
My daughter knitted a string of 12 little mittens for me for Christmas.
They aren't just any little mittens, but ones made with wool
I spun many years ago and I love them.
The mittens have been hung over the mantel and little hearts tucked inside
to celebrate the coming month of February and Valentine's.
My snow girl received a heart.
A basket of little inspirational hearts came out.
Finally I left one of my faux trees standing and put hearts on it.
All this to say, seeing my heart decorations definitely makes my heart sing.
Let the winter darkness come, it won't get me down - NO IT WON'T.
We will stand firm, laugh and dance and celebrate even in the darkness!

In the Darkness there is Light

Throughout the winter my focus will return to light.
I am encouraging myself to notice light wherever I go.
Are you noticing light?
Did you see the amazing moon last night?
There are touches of light all around us,
but so often on these days of darkness we forget to notice.
So I encourage you this week to notice the light.
It might be in a candle or the flame on a gas stove
or maybe a flame in the fireplace or that gorgeous moon.
Take time to notice and it will make your heart sing.

Charity

Recently I was sorting through my old artwork

and found this picture I did long, long ago.

It reminded me of "Charity" and giving throughout the year,

at the holidays, and at the close of the old year.

I feel blessed to live in a comfortable home with my family nearby.

Sometimes I forget to take notice of my blessings and to share.

So this picture was a good reminder to me to do what I can for others.

Yes, I do have something I will be doing soon and I hope this little

drawing is a reminder to you too.

We are often blessed and just need to notice what we notice.

It can be just a little thing.

As a young girl I remember my mom was on occasion given

a basket with fresh baked bread and jam or cookies from a friend.

What a special blessing it was to my mom, my sister, and I.

 

So for today and going forward I would encourage each of us to remember 

those little blessings and pass them on.

Pomeroy China

 Davenport Pattern by Royal Doulton.
Having a fondness for transferware,
I was pleasantly delighted to see this
"Pomeroy" China when having tea before Christmas
at the Pomeroy Farm.
I thought it was quite beautiful and thought
my tea loving friends would love seeing it.
Happy Thursday, dear friends.
I hope you are enjoying a warm cup of tea on this wintery day.
What is in your cup today?

Sit Awhile

Before Christmas I was out walking
and there before me were these chairs.
In my mind I pictured you there,
sitting with me, chatting.
Oh the words we could share.
I would bring the tea.
We would enjoy just sitting here
sometimes in silence, but most often
sharing our hearts.
Come and sit with me awhile.
Tell me what is on your heart today.
Do you hear the birds nearby?
Do you smell the damp grass?
Do you feel the softness as we walk along?
Come, sit awhile.

A Woman of Passion

This is not a passion flower, but the color is warm and feels passionate.
When I share this year about PASSION, the colors will be warm.

Recently when PASSION tapped me on the shoulder
there was an article in our local paper, The Oregonian.
They shared a story about Gertrude Rempter.
Now I didn't know Gertrude, who recently died at 99 years.
What struck me in reading about her life was her PASSION
for a career in physics and microscopy.
She worked until weeks before her death in a lab at
Portland State University.  "Her work on electron microscopes
aided the development of military night vision goggles and her advice
was coveted among industry professionals from Tektronix and other tech companies."
Her son stated, "She wasn't a (militant) feminist; she just quietly went ahead and
did what she knew she or any woman should be able to do."
She also raised five children, had horses and chickens on an eight-acre farm, baked pies,
and made jam.  What an amazing, passionate woman.

When I am 99 years, I would love to be remembered as a woman of PASSION,
who "did what she knew she or any woman should be able to do."

***********
My friend krys has a lovely give away going on.
Visit http://kryskirkpatrickdesign.blogspot.com/ to check it out.
Krys is also a woman of PASSION.

Lights of Winter

Happy New Year!

As we leave behind the glitter of the holiday season
and enter a time of darkness, I am reminded
of how important light is to us all.
Light brings me great JOY
and guides me through the dark nights.
So I am remembering to light candles
and stringing a few of the twinkling lights of the holidays
around my house.
What are you doing to light your way through the time of darkness?
What brings you JOY during this time?